"He'll be a brilliant signing" – Pundit urges Arsenal to sign Premier League midfielder and start him ahead of Kai Havertz

Ex-Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paul Robinson has urged Arsenal to sign Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz and start him ahead of summer signing Kai Havertz.

Luiz, 25, has cemented himself as a crucial first-team starter for Unai Emery's side since arriving from Manchester City for close to £15 million in 2019. He helped his club secure their first-ever UEFA Europa Conference League qualification with fine performances last season.

A 10-cap Brazil international, Luiz has been in stellar form for Aston Villa this term. The Vasco da Gama youth product has scored six goals and laid out two assists in 19 overall matches for his team so far.

Speaking to Football Insider, Robinson asserted that the right-footed midfielder will prove to be a brilliant addition to Arsenal's ranks should he seal a permanent move soon. He elaborated:

"I think he will be a very tough one to get out of Aston Villa. With the way they're going and the direction Unai Emery is taking the club, they're European contenders again this season. Whether they can compete on both fronts is yet to be seen. He'll be a brilliant signing and make an excellent addition to the Arsenal squad."

Stating that Luiz will be an upgrade over Havertz, Robinson continued:

"The left-hand side of the midfield is an area where they've played Kai Havertz – it's maybe an area of potential strengthening that they could potentially look at. We forget that Thomas Partey is yet to come back too, so we don't know if Luiz would get in ahead of him."

Meanwhile, Havertz has proved to be an underwhelming signing for Mikel Arteta's side so far this season. Since arriving in a potential £65 million deal from Chelsea, the 24-year-old midfielder has contributed just a goal and an assist in 19 matches across competitions so far.

Mark Lawrenson makes shock prediction for upcoming Arsenal-Brentford league contest

In his column for UK-based online bookmaker Paddy Power, Liverpool great Mark Lawrenson predicted a 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Brentford in their match on Saturday (November 25). He wrote:

"You just feel with Brentford that they love playing against all the London teams, they seem to be able to do a job on most of them. I think it's going to be tight, I'll go for a draw. I don't know how many players Brentford had on international duty so I think they might be lying in wait for Arsenal."

Interestingly, Brentford are yet to lose a single Premier League clash against other London clubs this campaign. They have defeated Chelsea, Fulham and West Ham United, while registering a couple of draws against Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace in the league so far.

Arsenal, who finished second in the Premier League last season, are in third place in the 2023-24 table with 27 points from 12 matches. Brentford, on the other hand, are currently 11th with 16 points so far.